SHU Ph.D. Student Gives Keynote Talk at National Forum

Rachel Forbes wrote book that explores environmental impact on marginalized people

Rachel Forbes, a second-year student in Sacred Heart University’s Ph.D. in Social Work program, recently gave the opening keynote speech for the National Association of Social Workers’ (NASW) virtual forum. Her topic, “Environmental Justice: Through the Social Work Lens,” delved into how environmental issues impact diverse populations and how social workers can advocate for change.

The forum, which explored social workers’ roles in addressing environmental challenges, brought together experts who shared insights about the intersection of social work and environmental justice. The NASW invited Forbes to give the keynote address because its press division recently published her book, Ecosocial Work: Environmental Practice and Advocacy.

“The opening keynote sets the tone for the entire conference, so I introduced the topics that were going to be covered over the course of the two days,” said Forbes. “I talked about the ways social workers can get involved in environmental matters, from food justice to water and air quality issues. All social workers must understand these topics.”

In her address, she stated that social workers should promote society’s general welfare on local and global levels and support the development of people and their communities in the face of growing environmental degradation.

A social worker’s role is to advocate for the fulfillment of basic human needs, and this includes having acceptable living conditions. Climate change has significantly impacted the living conditions in many communities, especially those that are historically oppressed and vulnerable, she said. Social workers have always intervened where environmental injustice has been present and advocating for the environmental justice is aligned with the historical roots and ethical mandates of the social work profession. It is this dynamic that unites SHU’s social work program and Forbes’s own environmental advocacy.

“Individuals with disabilities, communities of color, women and children are just a few of the groups of people vulnerable to unjust treatment and who, in different ways, are going to be more at risk of being oppressed. Their struggles will be exacerbated by the climate change crisis,” said Forbes. “This crisis is impacting the people we work with, so we should understand how we can make a more just and equitable world when it comes to environmental issues.”

Forbes was drawn to SHU’s doctorate degree program partly because of its anti-racist framework. The hybrid format also appealed to her because she is an associate professor of the practice of social work at the University of Denver Graduate School of Social Work. She is also the program director of the Western Colorado Master of Social Work program.

Forbes said she is proud to be studying at SHU. “There has been a lot of positive growth at the University, and I have been impressed at how the school has gone up in rankings,” said Forbes. “It has really become such an amazing, prestigious school.”

She looks forward to continuing her work in the doctoral program, especially on-campus residencies, when she can meet faculty and spend time in the community.